Most casual art lovers see Van Gogh as a troubled but successful artist. This is far from the actual truth of his chaotic life which was filled with failure in every occupational pursuit he attempted including painting, and was marked by episodes of depression, violence, and abnormal behavior. Thanks to the preservation of thousands of letters Van Gogh had written to friends and family, especially to his brother Theo, we have a nearly complete understanding of his feelings, experiments, and views on every aspect of his life. Surprisingly, his incredible artistic talent went unnoticed and unrecognized until he was 27 years old, after he had already failed at two other career choices as an art dealer and a Protestant minister. Following his failure as a preacher, he began to study art. He obsessively began thousands of sketches and oil paintings. Many observers of Van Gogh's life believe that his oddities, which were apparent from early childhood, built up to create many experiences that directly impacted the development of Expressionistic painting. Therefore, a look into his childhood will give us an understanding of Van Gogh's creative expression. Vincent's sister, Elizabeth Van Gogh, described his behavior as a child (1) "he was intensely serious and uncommunicative, and walked around clumsily and in a daze with his head hung low." She continued by saying, (1) "Not only were his sister and brothers strangers to him, but he was a stranger to himself." A servant who worked for the Van Gogh family when Vincent was a child described his as an (1) "odd, aloof child who had queer manners and seemed more like an old man," than the child he was. Vincent later described his childhood as (2) "gloomy, cold, and sterile." Unaware of his own artistic ability, Vincent Van Gogh first tried to learn the art of selling art work. At the age of 16, he became the apprentice of an art dealer at the firm Goupil and Co. located at the Hague in Belgium and was later transferred to the London and Paris galleries. He quickly learned all the painters and their personal styles, along with what makes a piece of art valuable. In fact, he actually learned too well! If a customer became interested in purchasing a poorly done painting, Van Gogh would explain why it was junk. He was even known to be argumentative with clients. Van Gogh was fired from the art firm and with the he... ... middle of paper ... ...or two weeks in Aries, France. This was followed by several more breakdowns in 1890. Psychologists studying Van Gogh's history of mental breakdowns have theorized that each psychotic episode was preceded by a supposed threat to his deep attachment to a loved one. Vincent saw the relationship between Theo and his new wife Joanna, as a loosening of the bond he had with his brother. Vincent was mainly worried about the allowance of 100 francs per month for living expenses while he painted. Vincent painted "The Undergrowth With Two Figures" in June 1890, one month before his death. He then wrote to he brother saying,(1) "I feel... a failure. That's it as far as I'm concerned... I feel that this is the destiny that I accept, that will never change." On July 27, 1890 Vincent Van Gogh went out to the countryside at a place where he was staying and shot himself inn the chest. He then walked up to his room and began bleeding to death. Although he only sold one painting during his life time, he is considered the most powerful Expressionist, and his paintings now sell for millions of dollars. Ironically, Van Gogh is deemed by society to be one of our greatest and most successful artists.
...ded after his death, it was Artaud that claimed, “No, Van Gogh is not crazy, he was pushed to suicidal despair by a society which rejected his works.” Whether or not Artaud’s theory is correct, Vincent Van Gogh was in fact very ill and his paintings are famous for how lucid they are in illustrating the way his mental illness affected him. Van Gogh’s post-impressionist style is very unique of the late 19th century in France and most of his work was done with impasto technique as a way of expression. It is recognizable that his illness had a larger impact on his paintings’ subject matters than the style they were painted in. Vincent Van Gogh’s fame mostly came after his death, and while his paintings did help him to express himself, they now live on to visually translate the true, unwritten stories of his life and the effects paintings have with a mental illness.
Vincent Van Gogh (30 M arch 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch post-impressionist painter. Unpopular at his time but still his own worst critic, he suffered from painful anxiety and mental illness, and died at the age of 37.
References 2, 7, 8- "Vincent Van Gogh- Portrait of an Artist" Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, pages 7, 85, and 86. Published in 2001.
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter, whose work represents the archetype of expressionism, the idea of emotional spontaneity in painting. Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, son of a Dutch Protestant pastor. Van Gogh's birth came one year to the day after his mother gave birth to a first, stillborn child; also named Vincent. There has been much speculation about Vincent van Gogh suffering later psychological trauma as a result of being a "replacement child" and having a deceased brother with the same name and same birth date. Early in life, he displayed a moody, restless character that was to spoil his every pursuit. This theory remains unproven, however, and there is no actual historical evidence to support it.
Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, Netherlands on March 30, 1853. He was born into a middle class family that sometimes struggled financially. His grandfather was a famous preacher and his father was a minister so religion was pretty important within his family. The other passion within the family was art. His mother was an artist and three of his uncles and later his brother were art dealers. He got his first job at age 15, at his uncle’s art dealership. The fact that Vincent’s family was struggling at this time gave him the responsibility to leave school and go to work. Despite his family 's misfortune, van Gogh was fluent in 4 languages and his concern with art and religion kept growing. At the age of 20, he was transferred to the Goupil Gallery in London. It was there that he fell in love with art and English culture. He visited galleries in his spare time and in many aspects increased his understanding as a whole. In this period of time he started to fall in love with a woman named Eugenie Loyer. Vincent was prepared to ask her to marry him, but Eugenie didn’t feel the same as he did so she rejected the proposal and this caused van Gogh to suffer a mental breakdown. In this time he turned to God and threw away all unnecessary possessions except for the bible. He was fired from the Gallery for telling the customers “not to buy the worthless art.” Vincent then started teaching at a Methodist school and preached on the side a little. This was the first time in his life where he started to contemplate becoming a minister. He studied for a year planing to take the entrance exam to become a minister at the School of Theology in Amsterdam. He was denied entrance after refusing to take the Latin exam calling it a “de...
It is important to keep in mind that Van Gogh was born exactly one year after his brother, also named Vincent, was stillborn (“Vincent Willem”). This odd situation most certainly led to some of Van Gogh’s mishaps later in his life. Also, Van Gogh’s own mother was an artist, yet she never encouraged art in her children, nor did her or her husband support Van Gogh when he decided to study and practice creative thinking (“Vincent Willem”). Van Gogh’s father was a minister, and he and his siblings grew up in a very religious home, which led to some of Van Gogh’s life choices and also to some of his misfortunes along the way (The Van Gogh Gallery).
At the age of sixteen, Van Gogh went to go work with his Uncle Vincent, whom he was named after, as an art dealer at the Goupil and Co. This job had branches not only in Europe, but America also. Vincent was assigned the branch in London. There he got his first rejection in love. He fell in love with the daughter of his landlady. Van Gogh thought her feelings would be mutual, though she was not attracted to him. In fact, she was disgusted by him. She was engaged to be married, anyway. Because he was so hurt from this rejection, he took it out on his career. He told the costumers they were buying useless junk and insulted them for that. Van Gogh had to go to Paris and only his uncle's influence allowed him a second chance with the firm. His harsh behavior toward the costumers continued. In 1876, the Goupil's managers had to let him go.
Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in the rectory of Zundert in Barbant (Burra). His father was a soft-spoken Dutch clergyman. The only thing Van Gogh got from his father, was the desire to be involved in the family church. Even at an early age, Vincent showed artistic talent but neither he nor his parents imagined that painting would take him where it did later in life. One of his first jobs came at the age of sixteen, as an art dealer’s assistant. He went to work for Goupil and Company, an art gallery where an uncle had been working for some time. Three of his father’s brothers were art dealers, and he was christened after the most distinguished of his uncles, who was manager of the Hague branch of the famous Goupil Galleries (Meier-Graefe). His parents were poor, so his rich uncle offered to take him ...
Vincent was an influential post-Impressionist painter born in 1853, Netherlands. With Theo van Gogh’s association, Vincent met reputable Impressionist painters such as Émile Henri Bernard and Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin. Impressionism served as a platform for Vincent in developing his own style . He explored with colours, a stark contrast from his usual dark and sombre style. The influence of Japonisme charmed Vincent into residing in Arles where he began painting landscapes. Thereafter, Vincent voluntarily checked into Saint-Rémy sanatorium where his works reflected strong colours and lights of the countryside around him. His manic depression and epileptic condition, led to his suicide on July 27th 1890.
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the world’s greatest and most well-known artists, but when he was alive he considered himself to be a complete failure. It was not until after he died that Van Gogh’s paintings received the recognition they deserved. Today he is thought to be the second best Dutch artist, after Rembrandt. Born in 1853, he was one of the biggest artistic influences of the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh created a new era of art, he learned to use art to escape his mental illness, and he still continues to inspire artists over 100 years later.
One thing Van Gogh mastered was hiding his mental illness. His depression began during his two year stay in London. There he struggled was with the living situation he was in. For months he cut off communication with family, renounced any connections with his social life, and adapted a gloomy lifestyle. It wasn't until Vincent became more passionately involved in religion that he began to cheer up. He lost all interest in his art career and spent the next four years reacting to his calling, a preacher. As a result the church dismissed him. Again this lead Van Gogh to depression. He questioned how he could be of any use to the world. Finally, at the age of 27, he realized art was a good direction and began producing work. For a while everything seemed to be moving at a constant and stable pace. While vincent was visiting home, he fell for his widowed cousin Kee. When she scorned him, Vincent alienated
Vincent left the asylum in 1890 and made contact with Theo. He worked at a feverishly creating a new painting almost daily. He could not see his life as anything but “horribly wasted, personally failed and impossible.” He shoots himself in the chest July 27, 1890 but dies a lengthy two days later from the
Coming from a family greatly involved in art dealing, Vincent van Gogh was destined to have a place in the world of art. Van Gogh’s unique techniques and use of color, which clashed and differed greatly from the masters of the art world of his time, would eventually gain him the recognition as one of the founders of modern art. Van Gogh’s early life was heavily influenced by the role of his father who was a pastor and chose to follow in his footsteps. Although he abandoned the desire to become a pastor, van Gogh remained a spiritual being and was strong in faith. Plagued with a troubled mind and poor health, van Gogh’s life became filled with torment and isolation that would influence his career in later life as an artist. In his late twenties, van Gogh had decided that it was God’s divine plan for him to become a painter. His works would express through thoughtful composition and vibrant color, the emotions that he was unable to manifest in the real world. Van Gogh’s perception of reality and his technique would face harsh criticism and never receive full acceptance from his peers as a serious artist during his brief career. In a collection of correspondence entitled The Letters of a Post-Impressionist, Vincent confirmed these thoughts while writing to his brother Theo, “It irritates me to hear people say that I have no "technique." It is just possible that there is no trace of it, because I hold myself aloof from all painters” (27). His technique would later be marveled and revered by the art world. Vincent van Gogh’s legacy would thrive as it challenged the way the world envisioned modern art through his unique brush strokes and profound use of color as seen in his works The Sower and The Night Café. A brief look into...
Going back to his childhood, Vincent Van Gogh grew up in Zundert. He grew up with his mother, father, and many siblings. Vincent was very dedicated to religion and painting, and his uncle offered him to work in his art dealership. He ended up transferring to another dealership, and he fell in love with a young woman, who rejected him. This was when Vincent had his first of many mental breakdowns, and this was the start of his descent into madness. He had changed his entire life and devoted all his time to god from this point on.